Scars of Time
by Tell-Me-Tales
Summary: Clockwork has often tried to put Phantom's rampaging to rest. He has never succeeded. This time, however, ends in disaster; and not even the Master of Time will be able to undo the resulting damage. [Pre-TUE][Dark][No Pairings, No Slash][Two-shot with Epilogue][Complete]
1. Part 1

**A Quick Note: For the purposes of this fic, Clockwork is not omniscient. He can manipulate time and he's rather practiced at calculating possible outcomes, but he cannot actually see the future. After all, the Observants have to be good for **_**something**_**, don't they?**

******DISCLAIMER****: Danny Phantom is property of Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon.**

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~.~.~

**_Scars of Time  
Part 1_**

~.~.~

Clockwork studied the destroyed and long deserted city around him as he waited. The outskirts of Amity Park lay in ruins around him, but still he waited. It wouldn't be long now.

A portal opened in front of the ancient ghost, and it wasn't a moment later before its creator came through the swirling vortex.

"Right on time," Clockwork commented dryly to the newcomer.

Dan gave a surprised start at the unexpected voice, but merely glared in irritation when he recognized the speaker. "What do you want this time, Clockwork?" he nearly growled at the other ghost.

The Time Master shrugged carelessly. "Just the same old song and dance. You know the routine by now," he allowed a wry smile to cross his features before continuing, "I try to get you to see reason. You allow your anger to get the better of you. We end up fighting, and, eventually, one of us is forced to retreat."

"So why do you keep showing up if you know that nothing is going to change for all of your efforts?" Dan snapped out.

Clockwork chuckled without humor. "For the same reason you continue to attempt to annihilate what's left of Amity Park, I suppose. An entirely all-too-futile hope that something will change."

"I will destroy that miserable town, and all of its pitiful residents!" Dan raged, "That infernal shield won't be able to protect them forever. I will find a way around it. And when I do, nothing will stand in my way!"

"And then what?" Clockwork inquired in a bored tone, as if they weren't discussing the mass murder of thousands of humans.

"It doesn't matter!" Dan yelled, the flames on his head flaring up higher, "As long as that accursed town is reduced to nothing but ash, I DON'T CARE!"

"Humans often find it rather unsettling after their life's goal is accomplished. They don't know what to do next. They have no direction afterward. Nothing to drive them onward. Nothing to live for."

"I'm not human," Dan hissed back spitefully.

"You're the one responsible for that," Clockwork stated simply.

"I don't want to be human!" Dan insisted with a snarl, "Why on Earth or in the Zone, would anyone want to be that weak?"

"Weak? I seem to recall Miss Valerie Gray giving you a difficult time the day before last," Clockwork smirked slightly as Dan's expression darkened further, "I believe the wound on your side from one of her shots still hasn't fully healed yet, has it?"

"It was a lucky shot," Dan growled at the other ghost.

"It hasn't been the only time she's managed to get a 'lucky shot' in," Clockwork reminded Dan without apology.

The flame-headed ghost growled at the comment before changing the subject away from the female ghost-hunter. "Why are you here, Clockwork?"

"If you really want to know," the Time Master replied casually, not caring to press the matter of the human huntress, "it's because the Observants are getting anxious."

"The Observants?" Dan questioned blankly before catching on. He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Oh, yes. The floating eyeballs. What do they matter?"

"Phantom, it's only a matter of time before they decide you're too big a problem to be allowed continued existence," Clockwork said seriously.

"So?" Dan asked, already completely bored with the conversation about the group of ghosts, "What are they going to do about me? They're a bunch of spineless weaklings that never get anything done because they're too busy arguing amongst themselves to do anything."

"They're the governing body of the Ghost Zone."

"And not one ghost besides yourself and the pathetically weak listen to a word they say," Dan retorted, "The only two reasons they've stayed in power this long is because they're so busy yelling at each other they don't have time to enforce any of their ridiculous laws and all the ghosts are allowed to do as they please.

"The other reason is you. If, by some chance, someone decides that they don't like the way the Observants are doing things—not that they ever actually do anything to begin with—they have you to stop the rebellion before it even starts.

"Face it, Clockwork," Dan snapped at the older ghost, "Your precious Observants are absolutely useless."

"Without some form of government, there is chaos," Clockwork argued back in a calm tone.

"Have you taken even a passing glance at the Ghost Zone lately, Clockwork?" Dan demanded, "The Zone is already in chaos! Those floating gobs of ectoplasmic optic-nerves are ineffective at best!"

"Most of the chaos is directly related to your activities," the Time Master stated.

Dan gave Clockwork a nasty smile full of twisted glee before simply saying, "I know." He paused before speaking again, "I bet I could get those weakling ghosts in the Zone to do whatever I wanted them to, every last one of them. I doubt it would even be that difficult."

There was silence for a moment, and then Dan stretched another twisted smile across his face. "Guess what, Clocky," he said, using the nickname he had given Clockwork long ago with the express purpose of annoying the other spirit, "I do have another goal to complete after I destroy Amity Park."

"And that would be...?" Clockwork inquired warily when the ghost didn't continue.

Dan didn't waste any more time in giving voice to his maniacal plans. "After I'm done burning Amity Park to the ground, I'm going to go back to the Zone and destroy every single Observant before taking control of the Zone myself. No one will be able to stand in my way! And soon, I will have both Earth and the Ghost Zone trembling under my rule!"

"That's insane!" Clockwork exclaimed, momentarily knocked off balance by the sudden declaration, "You'll never get that far, Phantom. Once the Observants see this in the Time Stream they'll send me to eliminate you from existence!"

"YOU!" Dan laughed darkly, "You've spent the last ten years pestering me. You haven't destroyed me yet, and you never will."

"For the last ten years I've been trying to get you off of the destructive path you've been following, not on a mission to eliminate you," Clockwork sighed heavily and lifted his right hand to massage his forehead, "I have been interfering on my own whims until now, but once the Observants get involved you won't be given the chance to fight back anymore. I will be forced to stop time and finish you off once and for all. They may even have me do so in the past in order to reverse all the damage you've already done!"

"Is that so?" Dan snarled more than asked, "Then I'll just have to get rid of you NOW!"

Clockwork barely managed to dodge as Dan lunged at him.


	2. Part 2

******DISCLAIMER****: Danny Phantom is property of Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon.**

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~.~.~

**_Scars of Time  
Part 2_**

~.~.~

Dan snarled as he saw Clockwork dart towards an alleyway between two decaying buildings. He raised a shield in front of the ghost's escape route with relative ease before closing in on the Time Master again.

The instant the shield appeared before Clockwork was the same one that the ancient ghost deftly turned to face his opponent. He swiftly moved his staff to block both of Dan's hands and then used his own free hand to blast the malicious ghost in the chest.

Dan tumbled backwards, but stopped quickly and fired off a quick succession of ecto-blasts. Clockwork deflected each into the surrounding buildings with his staff. He then rushed toward Dan, swinging his staff down in a powerful blow, but ultimately missing as the other ghost flipped back and out of the way of the attack.

"Must we really go through this every time we meet?" Clockwork asked as the circled each other.

"No," Dan replied easily, but there was an underlying snarl in his voice, "You could make it much easier by just allowing yourself to be vaporized now instead of drawing things out like this."

"There's still time you know," Clockwork offered, "You can change. I can help you."

"The last thing I want is your help!"

Dan lunged at Clockwork again, only to have the Time Master sidestep his assault. Dan didn't give up so easily, however, and whipped around to face his opponent, delivering a blow to the other ghost's shoulder.

Clockwork backed up, rubbing his now sore arm. He glared at the fire-headed ghost. "You should stop this foolishness now," he warned.

Dan responded by throwing a large ecto-blast at the ghost. Clockwork ducked below the attack before charging Dan. He caught the other ghost's midsection with his staff and slammed him into a wall, pinning him there.

"You lose, Phantom. Give up."

Dan glared back stubbornly. "No," he growled out, "you do."

Before Clockwork could react, Dan unleashed a powerful blast from his hands. Clockwork was sent tumbling across the ground, stirring up dust as he went. By the time the dust settled, Clockwork had vanished.

Dan growled when he realized his mistake, and took off in search of the Time Master.

It took mere seconds for Dan to catch up to Clockwork, the wounded time-ghost having left a trail of dripping ectoplasm to follow.

Dan tore blindly around the corner that Clockwork had turned only a second ago. He almost didn't raise his shield in time before a half-dozen ecto-blasts slammed into it.

Dan lowered the barrier and taunted his opponent. "Is that really the best you can—"

Two previously unnoticed blasts caught the overconfident ghost in the chest. Dan was sent skidding along the street on his back by the impact.

Clockwork didn't wait for Dan to get back to his feet before attacking the other ghost again. He swung his staff down hard.

Dan narrowly escaped the blow as he rolled to his side and sprung to his feet. He then hit Clockwork in the back with a blast of his own.

Clockwork flinched visibly at the hit but didn't slow his own counter-attack, hitting Dan with his staff once more. He then swung again, but Dan grabbed the rod from its owner's hands and threw it to the side with a snarl.

Clockwork's eyes widened in surprise. That split-second of shock turned out to be a fatal mistake, as Dan used it to rush at the Time Master.

"Come now, Time Master," Dan almost purred in smug triumph to his new captive, "you must have more ticks up your sleeves. Surely the Guardian of Time isn't this easily defeated."

Clockwork only glared at Dan, refusing to give into the instinct to struggle against the hand around his throat. The same hand that now held him back against one of the many crumbling brick walls.

"What's the matter, Clockwork?" Dan continued to taunt, "Nothing to say to me? You've always had some nonsense to rattle off in the past." Dan rolled his eyes in memory of some of their past conversations, if they could really be called that.

Clockwork didn't speak immediately.

"I suppose the Observants were correct..." he said in response after a moment of thought, "There is no saving you now, but then, who says I have to save you at this point in time." A smirk played at his lips, even though he was painfully aware of his current situation.

"I DO NOT NEED SAVING!" Dan roared in outrage as his grip around Clockwork's neck tightened, "I never asked you to save me! I never wanted your meddling! I am strong enough to destroy cities in one blow, and I now hold Time at my mercy! I am anything but weak!"

Clockwork idly watched Dan's flame-hair as it flared and whipped around in a frenzied state with the ghost's uncontrolled anger. "And for all your power, you have nothing," he stated blandly.

"I wouldn't talk if I were in your position," Dan growled out, "I could end your existence right now if I chose."

Clockwork only smirked back at him. They both knew he wouldn't actually do it.

Clockwork may have existed outside of the Time Stream, but he was connected to it in such a way that not even Clockwork himself knew exactly how it worked.

...Or what would happen to the Time Stream if he were to be destroyed. Time may move on as it always had, but it could just as easily unravel at its seams. There was no way to tell what kind of chaos the Time Master's destruction would cause; and while Dan wanted chaos, he wanted the kind of chaos that he could bend to his advantage, that he could control.

No one would accuse Dan of being sane, but even he wasn't crazy enough to risk that gamble.

Dan growled low in his throat in response to Clockwork calling his bluff; and then, oddly, a crazed smile formed on the ghost's face.

"What are you thinking?" Clockwork asked, a guarded tone tinting his voice slightly.

Dan schooled his expression into one of mock-innocence before answering in an overly sweet tone, "Why, Clockwork, don't you know? You're the Master of Time."

Clockwork glared at the ghost.

Dan laughed darkly at the Time Keeper and gave up his little act. "I've recently learned a new technique to subdue ghosts without making them fade. It involves infecting the other ghost with your own ectoplasm through the use of a particular 'Mark,' giving one full control over the other ghost."

Clockwork couldn't help the widening of his eyes as Dan managed to again catch him by surprise. He could feel his body go absolutely still in shock as the true horror of his words were realized by his mind.

It was an ancient dark art, one that had been banned soon after King Pariah Dark's fall. It had been used in the slave trade, and had helped Pariah to build his massive armies. After he had been overthrown, Clockwork had personally made certain that the instruction tablets were all destroyed, and that no one who had practiced the dangerous art survived long enough to teach it to others.

So how in the Zone had Dan learned about the forbidden art?

"Dark Control," Clockwork whispered.

"That's right, Clockwork. I'm going to make you my puppet," Dan laughed cruelly as he raised his hand to Clockwork's face, "Unfortunately, I hear that this will be rather painful...for you."

Clockwork finally began to struggle against his captor. He pulled at the hand around his neck in panic, desperate to get away. Dan only continued his maniacal laughter as he reached out and touched his index finger to Clockwork's hairline.

Clockwork's struggling stopped instantly as agony consumed him. A frightening scream born of pain escaped him, and his form began to flicker through different ages as he lost all control.

None of his captive's actions caused Dan to pause in the slightest. If anything, it only encouraged the insane specter to go on. His eyes danced with a twisted sense of joy at the other's torment as he dragged his finger down the forehead, infusing his own energy to the other ghost as he went. His finger trailed directly over the Time Master's eyebrow, and he didn't think twice before continuing over his left eye as well.

When he reached the top of Clockwork's cheek, he changed the direction of the path his finger had been searing through the ghost's skin; traveling, instead, toward the Time Keeper's ear. Halfway to the ghost's ear, he paused for a second to change the direction again and continue his cruel task down the side of Clockwork's face.

He never got the chance, however, when Clockwork used that second's delay to call his staff back. The staff hit Dan in the head and knocked the malicious ghost away from its owner.

Clockwork reached out with a trembling hand to reclaim his Time Staff. His other hand raised to clutch at the left side of his face, around the burning Mark.

Dan looked up from where he had landed on the deserted road. His expression turned from shocked to murderous when he saw that Clockwork had managed to escape him without the Mark being completed.

They glared across the distance separating them from each other for several moments before Clockwork disappeared from the Time Stream and Dan let loose an uncontrolled howl of rage.


	3. Epilogue

******DISCLAIMER****: Danny Phantom is property of Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon.**

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~.~.~

**_Scars of Time  
Epilogue_**

~.~.~

_"Now do you understand?"_

Clockwork rolled his eyes. Of course he understood. He understood far better than they did, and likely ever would. In truth, he would probably be able to do his job as Guardian of Time much more efficiently without the floating eye-balls hovering over his shoulder and criticizing his every move.

He laughed inwardly at himself. Perhaps he was becoming more like Phantom than he cared to admit. He certainly hadn't thought this lowly of the Observants before.

_"Yes, Danny Phantom grows up to be the most evil ghost on the planet. What do you want me to do about it?"_

And really, what was he supposed to do about it?

The Mark, while uncompleted, prevented him from attacking Phantom. Because of the Mark, he was now incapable of ending the monstrosity. He should have finished him off when he had the chance. Now it was too late.

_"You're the Master of Time, Clockwork. Isn't it obvious?"_

Oh, it was painfully obvious, especially to Clockwork.

They wanted him to freeze time and get rid of Phantom. When in the Time Stream didn't matter to them, just so long as he was gone.

Unfortunately, the Observants couldn't understand that this was no longer an option. They also failed to realize that Clockwork's new scar was actually an unfinished Dark Control Mark. They really were useless, being unable to see what was right in front of them.

The fact still remained. Phantom was a problem, and a large one. From there, the question became how to solve the problem when he was unable to put an end to Phantom himself. It wouldn't be an easy thing to accomplish. That much was certain.

_"To save the future, Danny Phantom must perish!"_

Clockwork smiled as a plan fell together in his mind.

He had already tried all he could think of to help Phantom cope after the loss of his family. Phantom, however, was proving to be a problem easier solved before he became a problem to begin with.

Clockwork moved to set his plan in motion. If things went well, he would not only resolve their 'future' problem, but get some much desired revenge on Phantom. The hardest part would be distracting those over-the-shoulder-watching eyeballs long enough to see his plan through.

It would also most likely be best to give Young Phantom a taste of his current future before allowing the two Phantoms to meet. Now which of the all-too-willing ghosts should he send back first?

Choices, choices...

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**Well, that's it. The story is through  
And now it's time I bid you _adieu_  
But before you go  
Perhaps you should know  
What follows may be of use to you!**

**If you enjoyed this story, you may also want to check out another of my fanfictions titled _Better Left Unsaid_. It's a one-shot that picks up after Danny returns to his own time in TUE, leaving Vlad to reflect on the past.**

**If you would like more of Clockwork's meddling ways and just more Dan in general, I recommend taking a peek at Firefury Amahira's story, _Indemnification_. Though you may want to read through at least one or two of it's three prequels to get a better understanding of what's going on before tackling this long tale.**

**That said, please remember to review! Words of encouragement, thoughtful comments, constructive criticism, and tips on writing are all welcome and greatly appreciated! Also, please note that anonymous reviews are Enabled.**

**Thank you for reading!**


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